Can We Be
by avenger1748
Summary: Pepperony - High school AU. Pepper is a new student at Tony's high school and tries her best to avoid any spotlight at all, and that includes Tony Stark himself, but Pepper's mysterious demeanor intrigues Tony, and his determination to get to know her is a whole new experience for them both. Eventual romance.
1. Chapter 1

**Okay this is a high school AU - completely disconnected from my other Pepperony story. I've always liked the idea of putting the characters in a high school setting with all the teenage drama and angst, and I know it's been done many of times but I thought I'd write my own since it struck my creativity. Also, I am continuing with My Life With You, but I always have writers block with that one and it takes me a little longer to do chapters and think of how I'll do it, but it's definitely still ongoing! Anyway, hope you like this story.**

Pepper tried to tell herself this place wouldn't be so bad, it was a beautiful school after all. She knew it was going to be difficult to adjust, but she wasn't the first teenager to ever move and start a new school, she just had to give it time.

"Okay this is your locker and here's your code," a girl with a large stack of books told her, pointing to the metal doors. "Here's all your textbooks and timetable for rest of semester. All the rooms are labelled and have the teachers names on them. Class starts in ten minutes, do you need some help finding your way?"

Taking the textbooks and shoving them into the locker, Pepper sighed and picked up her timetable. She didn't want to draw any more attention to herself by being personally shown to each class, she'd much rather be on her own.

"Uh, no I'm okay, thanks," she smiled.

"Okay well if you need anything, here's my cell phone number and I sit in the far side of the cafeteria,"

Pepper took the piece of paper handed to her and looked down at the handwritten note which had her name "Shelby" scrawled across the top.

"Okay, thanks,"

Pepper walked down the corridor, following the room numbers as mobs of other students did the same, except they actually knew where they were going. She would have never admitted that she was lost, so it was lucky when she walked to the door of her history class and saw that it was the right one. Pepper hurried inside and took a seat at a table in the back corner, pulling out her books in order to blend in and begin work, but the teacher wasn't so subtle.

"Class, we have a new student joining us, Virginia Potts," Mr. Davies called out, pointing to Pepper in the back row. "It's nice to have you joining the class Miss Potts. Mind telling us a little about yourself?"

Pepper internally groaned at the idea of doing the horrible task of introducing herself. It wasn't always going to be like this, it was going to get better. That's what she kept telling herself.

* * *

"Haven't you got detention with Mr. Williams?" Rhodey asked, leaning back on the table at lunch.

"That's what he thinks," Tony shrugged, taking a bite of his burger.

"You know he's gonna catch you later in another class,"

"He has a weird obsession with me,"

"Because you manage to set everything on fire in the science labs. And I don't think it's an obsession, more like a…hatred,"

"Same thing,"

The two sat at their table for a while longer before another boy joined them, silently eating his food as the two others took some of his lunch.

"Hey come on, for once I'd like to eat my whole lunch myself guys,"

"Hap, when was the last time you ate an apple?" Tony questioned as he took a bite of the red fruit he had just stolen.

Happy glared at his friend as he ate his burger.

"Maybe I'd eat it if you didn't take it everyday,"

Tony ignored his friend's complaints and continued munching on the apple, looking around the school. There was groups of people everywhere enjoying their break, but his attention was always taken by the girls who conveniently decided to practice their cheerleading routine and exercises directly across from where Tony's usual table was.

Just as the cheerleaders began their routine, Tony caught a glimpse of red hair blowing in the wind just behind the girls. Her hair was gorgeous as it blew in the Autumn winds and glowed in the sun. Her skin was creamy and pale, a few freckles on her face as she walked right past everyone. Tony hadn't seen her before, and although he didn't know everyone who went here, he knew if he'd remembering seeing her before. The girl continued walking until she found a table to herself underneath a shady tree, sitting down and putting in her earphones as she looked over a textbook. Before Tony knew it, he was staring at her, and he didn't know why.

"Dude, Christine's totally winking at you," Rhodey nudged his side, bringing him out of his daze.

"Huh?" Tony looked over to the blonde cheerleader who was staring back at him with a playful grin. "Oh right…Christine,"

"Yeah, Christine,"

Tony looked over to his friend suspiciously.

"What's your point?"

"Never mind man," Rhodey chuckled. "I sure as hell don't see what all those girls see in you though,"

Tony threw his apple core behind him, just missing Happy's head as it landed in the bin. The girl he had been staring at was still sitting alone, but he wasn't about to walk over to her, she was just some girl, he didn't care.

"So, what's on tonight?" he asked his friends. "Any parties?"

"It's Monday...nothing," Happy told him with a roll of his eyes.

"Oh right,'' Tony sighed. ''Wasn't yesterday Thursday?''

''Man, you must have had a hell of a weekend,'' Rhodey laughed.

* * *

Pepper had managed to make it through the whole day of school without too much embarrassment and when the bell went after the last class, she almost sprinted to the parking lot and jumped in her car, speeding home. It was her first day here, and it wasn't that bad.

''I'm home,'' she called out when she walked in the door of her house, throwing her bag into the corner.

Pepper walked into the kitchen and saw a note on the table, knowing what it was going to say before she even looked at it.

_If I'm not home I'm working late, sorry kiddo. Hope you had a good day at school - Dad_

Tossing the note to the side, Pepper opened up the fridge to look at her options. She pulled out a box of leftover pizza and walked into the living room, throwing herself down on the couch and turning on the television. They had been living in this house for a little over two weeks now, but Pepper still couldn't get used to the fact that the window let the sun shine directly into her face every time she sat down, causing her to get up and close the blinds, sitting in an empty and dark house, waiting for her dad to come home.

Mark Potts worked for a legal agency in Malibu, and since it was his second week on the job, he was offering to work back later than usual and build up a good rapport with his boss. Unfortunately that left Pepper at home by herself until late at night, but she wasn't too bothered by it. Her dad was doing all of this for her, she couldn't complain about it.

* * *

The next day at school, Pepper took her seat outside at a table under the big tree at lunch, taking a bite out of her apple and opening up a textbook. It was quiet for a while until she felt the table tremble as three massive textbooks slammed down next to hers and she looked up to see a blonde girl looking at her in desperation.

''You're Virginia Potts, right?'' the girl asked.

''Uh, it's Pepper...but yeah, that's me,''

''Pepper?'' the girl looked at her confused before remembering her initial reason for coming over. ''Anyway, Mrs. Abel told me you were signed up to do tutoring for business and commerce, right?''

''Yeah,'' Pepper answered cautiously.

''Look I'm failing _so _bad,'' the girl ran her hands through her golden hair. ''I was wondering if you uh, you'd be my tutor,''

Pepper looked around to see if this girl had anyone with her and if she was a part of some sort of prank, but everyone else was clueless to what was going on at the table.

''Why me? No offence, but there must be heaps of other tutors in this school-''

''There's only two other business tutors and they're both guys, they don't take me seriously and I _need _to pass this class. Please.''

''Uh, yeah sure, I'll help you,'' Pepper nodded her head.

The girl sighed with relief. ''Thank you so much,'' she sat down across from Pepper. ''I'm Olivia, by the way, but it's just Liv,''

''Well we should probably work out a study schedule if you want me to tutor you-''

''Can I just ask...why do you go by Pepper?'' Liv asked with genuine confusion.

Pepper chuckled and looked away from the girl in front of her. She had been asked this question everywhere she went and it was always the same look of shock on people's faces whenever she told them her name was Pepper. It was as if the word was unheard of.

''Nickname when I was little, I guess it just stuck,'' Pepper shrugged. ''Anyway, what are your classes today?''

''I have next period free,'' Liv told her, looking over her timetable to be sure.

''Me too,'' Pepper looked over hers too. ''Okay, well I guess we could start then, if you want?''

''Yes, _please_,'' Liv smiled. ''Again, thank you for this,''

''It's no problem,''

* * *

What was meant to be a study period turned out to be a get-to-know-you session with Liv and Pepper, still sitting at the table outside with their textbooks open but no work getting done. Pepper wasn't someone who opened up to people easily, and so whenever Liv asked a question, Pepper would answer with the most basic answers.

''I can't believe you lived in New York,'' Liv gasped. ''Did you like it there?''

''It was okay,'' Pepper nodded.

''Well why'd you move here?''

''My dad got a better job offer, so we bought a house here,''

''Where's he work?''

''At a law firm,''

''What about your mom?''

Pepper stayed silent as she looked over at Liv, her eyes saying all that needed to be told. There were certain things Pepper didn't want to talk about to someone she had just met, and that was a sensitive topic. Liv could tell she had asked the wrong question, but before she had a chance to apologize, Pepper pulled the textbook closer and flipped the pages.

''We better get _some _work done,'' she forced out a laugh. ''After all, it's supposed to be a study period, right?''

* * *

''So Tony, are you coming to the game Friday?''

Tony leaned back on his table in chemistry, chewing on a piece of gum as he balanced on the back legs of his chair. Christine Everhart was sitting in front of him, twisted around in her chair to look at him with her blonde curls just above her shoulders and her perfectly glossed lips smiling over to him. Friday was three days away, but it marked the first football game of the semester and Tony was well known for his post-game parties, however Christine was in charge of the cheer squad and she wanted to make sure Tony would be there to see her.

Tony pulled his arms around his head and looked up just in time to see that same girl he saw outside the day before walking into the classroom. She made no eye contact with anyone in the room, she only clutched her textbooks and walked to the back of the room, taking a seat at an empty table and immediately opening her book. He had noticed that she didn't really have any friends and didn't talk to anyone, but he didn't know why. She was so different to all the other girls at the school. Probably because they all stared at him whenever he walked into a room and went out of their way to talk to him, but this girl didn't, and he didn't know why, but it frustrated him.

''Tony?'' Christine waved her hand in front of his face, bring him back to her question.

''Have I ever missed a game?'' he asked her. ''I'll be there,''

''Good,'' she smiled, turning back around.

Mr. Williams walked into the room moments later and immediately shook his head when he looked at Tony leaning back on his chair carelessly, no books on his desk and his sunglasses still on. So far, Tony had managed to turn every practical lab lesson into a cloud of smoke on purpose, and he owed Mr. Williams approximately two weeks of detention.

''Mr. Stark,'' Mr. Williams began, walking over to Tony's desk. ''It seems your memory has been affected over the past few days, am I right?''

Everyone in the class looked up from their desks and over to what was going on. It seemed that whatever Tony did in his classes managed to entertain his peers, even if it meant more detention. Pepper stopped reading over her textbook and looked at Tony just like everyone else was. Pepper knew who Tony was, she watched the news. His family owned the biggest weapons manufacturing company in the world, Stark Industries, and they were filthy rich. Tony had made headlines for himself over the past few years with his partying and inventions. He was extremely intelligent, but that's not what he was most famous at the school for. Every girl lusted over him and all of the guys worshiped him, and Pepper didn't care to find out why.

''Well, there is a first for everything sir,'' Tony replied.

The class chuckled in response, earning a glare from Mr. Williams.

''Well, not only are you going to stay back for detention this afternoon, it's now doubles thanks to your wonderful wit,''

Before Tony could make another comeback, Mr. Williams raised his voice and instructed the class to begin working on an exercise while he set up an activity. The sound of paged folding over filled the classroom and Tony looked over to the girl in the back row and noticed there was a small smirk on her lips and it made him smile with satisfaction. He didn't have to go over and talk to her, he could tell he was already getting to her, at least that's what he thought.

* * *

**Wow okay I hope you guys like this story? It's in development so please be easy on the criticism. I know a lot of Pepperony high school AU's have been done before, but I'm hoping to make mine different by making Pepper a lot different to how she is in other fics. I think it'll be a bit darker and more complex, but hopefully you guys will like it. PLEASE REVIEW AND LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks for the reviews on the first chapter, I hope you all continue to enjoy reading!**

* * *

''How do you know all of this stuff?'' Liv asked, watching as Pepper sketched out a rough diagram for her to follow.

''I don't know,'' Pepper shrugged. ''I've just always had a thing for business stuff, I like understanding how those things work,''

Over the past two days, Pepper had been helping Liv with all of her business work and explaining everything to her in a way she could understand. Liv always asked her questions about New York, the friends she had there and her own desire to visit the city one day. Liv's friends had come and sat with them during one lunch break and hung out like normal, making Pepper wonder if she was now considered a friend to the group since they began sitting there every other break as well. Being a new student in high school made you subject to a lot of rumors and questions, Pepper was just glad that the group that had approached her were actually welcoming instead of the nasty cliques.

''So are you coming to the game tomorrow night Pepper?'' Jennifer asked as they sat at the table.

''Uh, no I don't think so,'' Pepper answered casually.

She was met with three gasps from each of the girls and they looked at Pepper as if it was a criminal offence not to attend their school's football game. Pepper looked around at each of them confused, wondering why they were so upset.

''You _have _to come Pepper!'' Liv shook her head. ''Come on, it's the first game of the semester and you've never been to one before.'' Liv tried her best to encourage Pepper, pleading with her eyes. ''If you don't want to go for the game, go for me, I'm on the cheer squad,''

''I'm just not interested in going to a school football game,'' Pepper told them politely.

''What else are you going to do?'' Emily asked. ''It's a Friday night, you _have _to come out,''

''Come on Pepper, please,'' Liv pleaded.

Pepper looked at the three girls in front of her who stared back at her with hopeful expressions. They considered Pepper a friend and she had only been here for a week, she was grateful. She had nothing else planned and she already knew her dad would most likely be working late.

''Fine,'' Pepper relented with a sigh.

''Yeah!" the three girls smiled. ''I promise it's going to be fun, there'll probably be a party afterwards anyway, win or lose,''

''Yeah Tony Stark throws one after every game,'' Liv smiled. ''It'll be fun, I promise,''

* * *

It was Friday morning and the school was in chaos. Everyone was prepping for the game that night whether they were on the team, cheer squad or just sitting in the stands. The first game of the semester was a big deal, and it was clear that high school football was taken seriously here. At Pepper's previous school, she never had any interest in going to the games even when she dated one of the players, so it was surprising when she caught herself feeling excited to go to the game that night.

''Tony!'' one of the football players ran down the corridor, latching onto Tony's back as he jumped up and down. ''What's going on tonight man?''

Pepper stayed at her locker picking up her necessary books as she looked over to the boys, subtly listening in to their conversation.

''The usual, my place after the game,'' Tony told him with a grin on his face. ''Spread the word,''

''Alright man!''

Pepper continued watching Tony without even realizing it. Liv had told her that Tony dated a different girl each week and everyone worshiped him for some reason. Pepper didn't know if it was because of his rebellious attitude or the fact that he and his family were so well known, but she couldn't help noticing the fact that he was good looking. His brown hair pushed back as if he had just woken up, but it suited him perfectly. It only took a split second for Tony's eyes to meet with hers as he turned around, a grin still plastered on his face.

''Pepper!'' Emily walked up behind her. ''We're gonna be late for English, come on,''

Tony watched as Pepper walked by without acknowledging him any further while Rhodey walked up in front of him, looking at his friend suspiciously. Tony hated English class and it was always up to Rhodey to drag him there each morning they had it. All they had to do was get through today at school and then the celebrations could begin.

Tony's parties were always talked about for months. His parents ran Stark Industries and were almost always away on business or working at the office and since Tony lived in a big mansion by the ocean, it was the perfect setting.

''You know the whole school's coming tonight, right?'' Rhodey told him as they walked down the corridor. ''Like, everyone. First game of the semester, your place is gonna be trashed,''

Tony shrugged. ''Can't be any worse than last time,''

''Oh right when _you _came up with the idea to throw the pool table off the cliff?''

''I...was actually thinking of the time before that with the busted windows, never mind,'' Tony shook his head, realizing just how much had happened at his past parties. ''So, feel like skipping English?''

''No, I'd like to actually _pass _English this time around, Tony,'' Rhodey shook his head, walking over to the door of the classroom.

''Suit yourself,''

* * *

''Dad?'' Pepper called out when she came home from school that afternoon, throwing her bag into the corner as usual.

''In here honey,''

She walked down the hall and into the kitchen where her dad was sitting, looking at the screen of his laptop as he sipped a cup of coffee. It was unusual to see him home in the afternoon, but Pepper was glad that for once she had come home from school and her dad was there.

''How was school?'' he asked, his eyes still glued to the screen as he typed away.

''It was fine,'' she shrugged. ''I'm going to the football game later, it's the first one of the semester,''

''You're going to a football game?'' he chuckled.

''I know, but my friends really wanted me to go,''

Mark looked up from his computer and smiled at his daughter. He had hoped she would be happy here after they moved, and although they had only been here for just over two weeks now, he was glad everything seemed to be going okay.

''Hey, that's fine by me,'' he nodded. ''I've gotta head back into work soon kiddo, I'm sorry, there's a big case being reviewed tomorrow and I want to make sure I know it inside and out, so I'll be home late. I'm sorry.''

''It's okay dad,'' she smiled, putting on a very convincing front. ''I'll make you some dinner before you go,''

Pepper was far too used to accepting whenever her father had to work, which happened to be a lot of the time. She admired his dedication to his career, but it wasn't the most ideal arrangement since she would end up spending the day at home by herself. However she knew he was working hard to support them both, so she never argued or protested despite how upset it would make her. Tonight though, she wasn't going to stay at home feeling sad or lonely, she was actually going to go have fun, hang out with her friends and forget everything that was going on.

* * *

It wasn't surprising to see almost everyone in the stands dressed in the school's color with big banners of support for their team, but Pepper hadn't been to a game before, so it was all new to her. She found a seat among the crowd with Jennifer and Emily and looked out onto the field at the team that was running around warming up.

''There's Liv,'' Jennifer pointed their friend out just in front of the stands, warming up with the cheer squad.

''Better wave, she'll think we didn't see her,'' Emily suggested.

Liv had a massive smile on her face as she saw her friends waving, shaking her pom pom back at them with a giggle. Everyone was in such a good mood and they were all so excited for the game, but Pepper could hear people spreading the word about Tony Stark's party that night as well, and she knew that this was only the beginning of a long night since she knew her friends were planning to drag her along to the party as well.

It wasn't long before the game began and everyone jumped up and down when the school team scored. Pepper found herself cheering along with them, unable to control herself from getting into the game. Jennifer and Emily were screaming their support for the team and clapping their hands as loud as they could each time the ball was passed between players.

The game went on for a while longer until it came down to an intense final run. It was close, but their school to the victory of the game, causing chaos among the crowd as they roared with applause. Pepper was honestly surprised with how much she enjoyed the game, and in the midst of watching the game, she had agreed to come to the other games with her friends for the rest of semester.

''You're not leaving right?'' Liv asked Pepper when they met up after the game.

''No way, she's coming with us,'' Jennifer answered for her, smiling over to Pepper.

''So who's driv-''

''Ladies,'' Tony Stark interrupted as he walked by with a group of friends, Christine Everhart hanging off his arm. ''After party at mine if you'd care to join,''

Pepper looked up at Tony who looked as if he had already started drinking during the game. He looked at each of the girls as Christine's grip on his arm tightened as if she was reassuring him she was still there.

''We'll be there,'' Liv answered.

* * *

To say Tony's mansion was huge was an understatement. It had numerous levels including one underground, a swimming pool deck and glass walls surrounding the outside of the mansion, giving a clear view out to the ocean. The mansion was full of people that Pepper didn't recognize, but she was sure they all went to her school. The music was louder than she thought possible since Tony had installed his own sound system throughout the house with outlets everywhere so it was never quiet.

''Do all of these people go to our school?'' Pepper asked as they walked further inside.

''This is pretty much our whole school, yeah,'' Emily nodded, looking around the room. ''And maybe a few randoms...the usual,''

''Shots!'' Jennifer pointed at a boy they knew carrying a tray full of small glasses, all filled with vodka, grabbing as many as she could fit in her hands. ''Thank you Benjamin,''

Jennifer brought the glasses back over and handed them out between the three of them. With a shot of vodka in each hand, Pepper vowed to herself that she was going to let go tonight and have fun with her friends, smirking up at them before she downed the alcohol one after the other, handing the glasses right back to Jennifer who just stared at her wide eyed.

''No way,'' Liv laughed. ''Great now I have to outdo you, Pepper,''

Tony was standing in the corner with a drink in each hand as Christine was talking to him mindlessly about what another girl was wearing. He nodded his head sometimes and sipped his drink, but his mind was far from whatever she was talking to him about. Instead, his eyes scanned the room for people he might know, singling out the people he didn't know and wondering who they came here with. Rhodey was off talking to some girl and finding more of his favorite liquor as Happy stuck with drinking beer and watching who was coming into the mansion. Happy was a good person to have at parties. When something blew up and there was an argument, Happy shut it down immediately and made sure they were out of there. He was a loyal person and one of the two people that Tony could actually call his friend.

''Are you listening to me?'' Christine asked, positioning her face in front of his.

''Uh, yeah,'' he nodded with a smile on his lips, hoping he was answering the right question. ''I need a refill,''

Christine looked down at the two drinks in his hand that were each half full, narrowing her eyes at him. Tony managed to walk away without Christine chasing after him or calling out, so he continued faster until he was in with another crowd. When Tony threw a party, there was no center of attention until he done something stupid. Everyone was crowded into the room and Tony blended in, for once, and he liked that.

Tony continued walking around until he found a spot to stand, hiding away from anyone who was going to come over and talk to him. He looked over into the crowd and caught sight of the same red hair he had seen at the start of the week. The girl was standing around in a group of friends drinking and laughing, and he hadn't noticed until now he had never seen her laugh or even smile all the times he had caught a glimpse of her around school. Tony still didn't know who she was and he had never asked anyone about her, but somehow she had taken his interest, probably because he had never taken hers, and he wanted to know why.

* * *

**PLEASE REVIEW**


	3. Chapter 3

**Thank you for your reviews! If you have any ideas you think I should include or anything you'd like happen in the story, let me know! By the way, in my story, I'm making Pepper more rebellious and more of a badass since I think it'll be a really awesome way to explore her character, and also because I'm bored of the other high school AUs always having Pepper as a straight A student who's scared to have some fun, so she's going to be different to what you might be expecting, but I hope you like it nevertheless. Anyway, if you don't like it or think I should do something else, let me know.**

* * *

''I'm getting me another drink,'' Liv laughed to herself, stumbling forward.

''Whoa, you sure you're gonna make it over there on your own?'' Jennifer asked, looking at her drunk friend.

''Make it where?'' Liv asked curiously. ''Where are we going?''

Jennifer rolled her eyes. ''To get you a water,''

''Water? Ew no, don't do that to me, I want...I want some tequila!''

''Okay, sure let's get some..._tequila_,'' Jennifer shook her head.

Pepper laughed at her friends walking away, still sipping at her own drink. She couldn't believe how much fun she was having with a bunch of people she didn't even know. Her friends were quite close with the rest of the cheerleaders and a few of the football guys, so their group had expanded quite a lot in the past few hours they had been drinking. Pepper was now acquainted with many of the students at her school, and since she had been drinking quite a lot, they got to see the fun side of her and immediately accepted her. She wasn't the new girl to them anymore, she was Pepper, and she could tell that school wasn't going to be as boring anymore. However, she was still the new girl to a few people, and one of them happened to be one of the football players who just wouldn't leave her alone.

''I guess I could get out of this school whenever I want really, I've been offered a few football scholarships,'' Benjamin told her as he leaned onto the wall next to her, doing his best to get her attention. ''I mean, they could really use a player like me-''

''Would you excuse me...for a second,'' Pepper smiled, lifting up her empty cup. ''I have to get another drink,''

''Hey let me get that for you,'' he smirked at her.

It wasn't that Pepper didn't like this guy, she didn't even know him, but the way he was acting around her and how he was talking to her just convinced her not to trust him. She had been to parties before and unfortunately knew people that had trusted the wrong guy, and she wasn't that stupid, no matter how much she had to drink.

''Uh, no it's fine, I actually have to go to the bathroom,'' Pepper lied, smiling politely as she walked away.

She found the table with numerous bottles of alcohol, easily making herself up a concoction of mixtures. When she looked over to the group she was with, Benjamin was still standing there, probably waiting for her to come back and she wasn't in the mood to stand there and listen to his boasting anymore. Pepper didn't know where anything in this house was, but she wasn't going back to the group where Benjamin was while Jennifer and Liv were still gone, and so she continued walking down the corridor until she was out by the pool deck overlooking the ocean. It was beautiful outside and Pepper walked over to the railing, putting her legs over it to dangle down as she set comfortably sipping her drink. It was so peaceful outside considering how crazy it was inside.

Reaching into her pocket, Pepper pulled out a cigarette and a lighter and looked around behind her. She wasn't a heavy smoker, but it was relaxing and it was a hidden habit of hers. She knew how disgusting it was and the damage it would do to her in the long run if she continued, but she told herself she would forget about everything for the night, and she intended to keep that promise to herself.

A few moments later, Pepper could feel another presence beside her and when she turned, Tony Stark was standing beside her, leaning on the railing and looking out at the ocean. He had a drink in his hand that he was taking large gulps of as he stood there silently. Pepper looked at him for a while longer, wondering what he was doing before she looked back out to the ocean, bring the cigarette back to her lips.

''What, no line?'' she turned back to him.

Pepper was shocked at how freely she was speaking now after she had been drinking all night. Normally, she wouldn't have said anything to him, but the alcohol had gotten to her a long time ago. Tony chuckled and shook his head, looking out to the water.

''Would you like one?'' he asked with a smirk on his face, casually leaning on the railing with his elbow.

''If you'd like to waste your time, sure,'' she shrugged.

Tony grinned and leaned back against the railing more comfortably. His house was full of people who all wanted to hang out with him, but he just didn't want to go back inside. They were like a mob just crowding around him, and although he enjoyed it, there were times where he just wanted to get away from it all. Pepper rested her hand back down on the railing and Tony grabbed the cigarette from her hand, lifting it to his lips as he breathed in the smoke, placing the cigarette back in her was too busy trying to process what he had just done to say anything, but she didn't say anything, instead she continued on as normal, dangling her legs from the railing and looking down at the water.

''I prefer cigars,'' he breathed out the smoke.

''Of course you do,'' Pepper rolled her eyes.

''For someone who's new here, you sure have a solid opinion on me,''

''Don't take it personally,'' she shook her head, taking a sip of her drink again. ''I'm pretty sure everyone here as a solid opinion on_ me_ too, being the new girl,''

''I don't,''

Pepper chuckled at his words. ''Right,''

''So isn't this the part where you introduce yourself?'' Tony asked, looking up at her. ''Or are you going to play the whole mysterious card where you make me keep wondering and-''

''It's Pepper,'' she cut him off.

''Pepper?'' he asked, considering the name. ''That's...your name?''

''That's my name,'' she nodded. ''And don't even think about making a salt and pepper joke, I've heard them all,''

Tony grinned and looked back out to the water. They stayed out there together for a while longer in silence, just looking out at the crashing waves until Tony broke the silence after finishing his drink.

''So, you want a tour of the house?'' he asked her with a smirk.

Pepper looked over to him with amusement, shaking her head as she knew it wouldn't have been long before he tried to make a move. He was Tony Stark, the biggest playboy in the school and she wasn't surprised.

''Sure, you can show me the door,'' Pepper jumped down off the railing, stumbling slightly as she put her feet back on the ground.

''Why, you leaving?'' he asked, almost shocked that she was considering going home. ''What, your mommy give you a curfew?''

What Tony meant as a harmless joke was met with no laughter. Pepper looked over to him with a blank expression, her eyes looking straight into his with no emotion. Tony had a grin on his face, expecting Pepper to make a smart comeback, but instead she threw back the rest of her drink and tossed her cup to the side, walking back into the party.

''So that's a no on the tour?'' Tony called out, but she was already gone among the crowd.

Pepper walked through the sea of people, trying to find her way to the front door. She had a good night, but right now she just wanted to go home. She shouldn't have stayed outside and talked to Tony, she knew it was a bad idea but she had too much to drink, and although she was still quite intoxicated, she wanted to leave.

Pepper groaned when she continued walking and saw Benjamin looking over to her. He was obviously happy to see her again and walked over to her, two drinks in his hand, offering one to her with a smile.

''Hey, where'd you go?'' he asked, holding the cup to her.

''Uh, I got lost,'' Pepper shrugged. ''I think I'll pass on the drink thanks,''

''Aw come on Pepper, I made it especially for you,'' he continued holding the cup to her, trying to get her to take it.

''Well thanks, but no thanks,'' she tried her best to politely decline his offer.

''Come on Pepper,'' he insisted. ''One drink, that's all I'm asking,''

''I said no,''

''Pep-''

''Oh Benjamin, haven't you learnt to recognize rejection yet?''

Pepper turned to see Tony pushing the cup away from Pepper, smiling at Benjamin to soften his insult. He had followed Pepper back inside and happened to find her here with the footballer that he didn't exactly get along with. Pepper was relieved she didn't have to deal with Benjamin anymore, but that fact that it was Tony that helped her out of that situation only made her want to leave the party even more. She walked away from the two boys and continued looking for her friends, scanning the room.

''Geez, you're welcome,'' Tony's voice came from behind her as he followed.

''Go annoy someone else,'' she muttered, still walking away.

''What's your problem?'' he asked. ''One minute you're talking to me, the next you're running away from me,''

''Yep,'' Pepper replied, barely listening to him as she walked away, spotting Jennifer and Liv. ''Bye now,''

Pepper walked over to her friends to find Liv barely standing, her arms thrown around Jennifer's shoulders to hold her up. Emily walked over not long after with her bag and let them know she was ready to leave, and Pepper had never been so relieved. She had had a good night and completely let go of everything, but right now she wanted to go home for a number of reasons. At least she wasn't just the new girl anymore.

* * *

Pepper had spent her whole weekend doing school work and lounging around her empty house. Her dad was working late each night which basically left the house to her the entire weekend. To any other teenager, that could have meant a lot of things, but Pepper preferred to spend that time alone. She was alone most of the time, it wasn't as if it was anything new.

Back at school on Monday, everyone was talking about Tony Stark's party on Friday night. How wasted they got, how many people were there, the fact that the music in the house made them go deaf for the rest of the weekend, it was non-stop banter about the party everywhere Pepper walked. Pepper had already heard from Liv the next day and it was the worst hangover she ever had. Pepper wondered if that was how all of Tony's parties went considering that the whole school was talking about it. Pepper wasn't exactly hungover on Saturday, but she did have a few blurry memories of the night before that she wished she could have clarified.

''Hey Pepper,''

She turned around to see a few guys from the football team politely waving at her and she returned the greeting, moving on. She was no longer the new girl that no one knew about or didn't speak to anyone, she was now acquainted with almost everyone in her year group. She got more looks than she did on Friday, making her wonder how many people she actually spoke to and got to know, but now couldn't remember.

Tony sat over in his usual spot before the morning bell, lounging on the table comfortably looking around the school as he slipped on his shades. Everyone was talking about his party which made him pleased with how it all went. The only thing about that night that stood out to him though was when he met Pepper. All week he had been wondering about her and who she was, and so far all he had gotten was her name and the fact that he really didn't understand her at all. He looked over in the middle of the school where the stairs from the parking lot were and noticed Pepper, her hair glowing in the sun, being approached by the same guy he had managed to save her from.

''Pepper-''

''Benjamin, seriously,'' Pepper sighed, shaking her head.

She remembered what happened between them and the situation they had, and who happened to save her from it.

''Look I'm sorry about what happened the other night, I was hammered, I'm not usually like that,'' he told her with a sad expression. ''I'm just...I'm sorry, okay?''

Pepper nodded her head. ''It's fine, no harm no foul, right?''

Pepper continued walking into the school when she saw Tony looking over to her. He was obviously watching her encounter with Benjamin, and he began to stand up as Pepper got closer. When she noticed, she slowed down, pretending to look around before walking the other way, ignoring him. She knew he wanted to talk to her, but she really didn't want to deal with it. She was still regretting the fact she even spoke to him the other night and realized he was just how everyone said he was. Pepper didn't want to talk to him, she just wanted to forget they even met each other. It's not like they ran in the same circles anyway, it would be easy to stay away from him. Or at least she hoped so, but she had no idea how persistent Tony Stark was, and when he wanted something, he always got it.


	4. Chapter 4

**Thanks again for the reviews! Again, I'm open to any suggestions you guys might have so just let me know either in a review or PM me, always happy to hear from you guys!**

* * *

''Pepper, people have been asking me about you all day,'' Liv told her as they sat at lunch.

''Funny, people have been actually _talking _to me all day, not just staring at me like I'm the new one,'' Pepper chuckled. ''I guess I made some friends the other night,''

Liv nodded and continued to eat her lunch with the girls as they talked about how everyone in the school was still talking about Tony's party. Pepper was glad that now she wasn't the new girl people knew nothing about, but she didn't exactly enjoy being recognized by everything as the girl from the party either. She didn't know who she had met at that party but apparently a lot of people knew her now, she just hoped she hadn't done anything that would make people think badly of her.

''So, something weird happened in math today,'' Jennifer began, swallowing a mouthful of food. ''You know James Rhodes?''

''Uh, yeah,'' Emily rolled her eyes that she would even ask.

''He was asking me about you Pepper,''

Pepper almost choked on her apple when she heard Jennifer's words, taking a deep breath as she looked over to her friend, searching for a hint that she was joking or that she had heard her wrong.

''Me?'' Pepper asked in confusion.

''Yes, you,'' Jennifer chuckled. ''He said something about Tony was asking him to ask _me_ about you...''

Pepper's heart began beating faster as she thought about Tony Stark making his friends ask around the school about her. She knew she would regret talking to Tony Stark at his party but she didn't expect him to say anything to anyone else about it considering nothing had even happened and she wasn't exactly the nicest person to him. Pepper was a mixture of confusion and anger, wondering what Tony was trying to do.

''Weird,'' she shrugged, taking another bite of her apple.

''Why would he be asking about you?'' Emily asked.

Pepper shook her head. ''I...don't know,''

''Just Tony being Tony I guess,'' Liv told her. ''He's like that with girls, especially new ones,''

''Oh, great,'' Pepper sighed.

''Isn't he dating Everhart?'' Emily asked.

''Oh...right, yeah I think he is,'' Liv nodded. ''Like I said, Tony being Tony,''

* * *

Pepper had managed to keep her mind off the fact Tony was asking people about her until the last class of the day which she happened to have with him. She walked into her chemistry class and took her seat up at the back table away from the groups that settled in around the sides of the room and at the front. A few people waved over to her as she walked in, remembering her from the other night, and she greeted them shyly before opening her textbook and waiting patiently for Mr. Williams to arrive.

''Tony!''

Pepper looked up to see Christine smiling widely and Tony walked through the door with his books in his hand, throwing them lazily on the table as he sat down at the table behind her as usual. She had seen Christine with him many times, but she wasn't aware they were actually dating until it was brought up at lunch, and then she just disliked Tony even more considering he was offering to take her on a 'tour' of the house the other night. Christine Everhart wasn't someone Pepper liked, but the fact that Tony cared so little for her feelings made her feel sorry for the cheerleader.

''Hey man I'd get out of here if I was you, William's is on war path for you,'' one of the boys next to him warned.

''What's the worst he can do?'' Tony shrugged, sitting back in his chair.

Pepper rolled her eyes at his arrogance and made herself comfortable in her seat, leaning onto the desk with her elbow. She noticed out of the corner of her eye when Tony looked over to her with a smirk on his face, and she didn't bother looking back at him. She was going to ignore him until he took the hint that she wasn't interested in whatever he was trying to do or get from her.

''Mr. Stark, how nice of you to show up,'' Mr. Williams walked into the room. ''Principal's office, now,''

Tony groaned loudly. ''Is that _really _what you want?''

''Now, Mr. Stark,''

''Fine,'' Tony put his chair in. ''but you remember what happened last time,''

''Just keep moving Mr. Stark,'' Mr. Williams told him firmly.

Once Tony was gone, class settled down back to normal and Mr. Williams began dictating notes. Pepper scribbled down the words on her paper and tried to focus on the fact that there was only one more hour left and then she could go home. Monday's were always the worst day at school, but today had dragged on for far too long not to mention the fact that she had to deal with the fallout of the party on the weekend. She just wanted the day to be over.

* * *

Tony went home that afternoon with a letter in his hand from the principal addressed to Howard and Maria Stark to inform them that for the rest of the week, Tony had to stay back for after school detention due to his inability to show up to the in school detentions that had accumulated over the past semester and beginning of the new semester. He walked inside and threw the letter into the fire, watching as it crumpled up and turned to ash before his eyes. There was no point giving the letter to his parents anyway, they were never home in the afternoons and wouldn't even notice if he wasn't there, and Tony's father wasn't impressed with being bothered by the school for Tony's behavior issues anyway.

The mansion was empty as usual and Tony threw himself back onto the couch with a sigh, looking up at the ceiling. It would be nice if his parents were home for the afternoon and they actually had dinner together like a normal family, but he was used to this routine now, and there was no use complaining.

''Sir, you have an incoming call to your cell phone from Miss Everhart,'' Jarvis informed him.

Jarvis was an artificial intelligence system that Tony had created himself and installed into the house. Since he was usually the only one home all the time, Tony was the only one who used the A.I. Although he used the system to assist himself in producing more tech and equipment, he was lonely at the house, and Jarvis offered an opportunity to talk to someone.

''Let it ring out Jarvis,'' Tony sighed, running his hands through his hair.

Christine Everhart just wasn't leaving him alone. They had spent the night together during the summer break and had hung out a few times at his house when his parents weren't home, but Tony was not someone who invested himself into a relationship, but Christine had apparently already done that for him. She was telling everyone they were dating and everyone knew about them, but Tony wasn't thrilled with the idea. He didn't want a relationship and Christine wasn't giving up.

As he thought about the drama he was in with Christine, Tony's mind wandered back to Pepper. He had been thinking about her over the weekend and wondering why she took such a dislike towards him. There had been new girls at their school before and all of them seemed just as interested in Tony as he was in them, but Pepper just didn't care, and he didn't know why that continued to bother him until he got an answer.

* * *

Pepper was late for school the next day, earning her a glare from Mr. Williams when she walked into chemistry. Even without looking, she knew Tony was staring at her, trying to make her look over to him, but she ignored him and sat at the back of the class like always. Her dad had the morning off work for once in a while and had taken her out for breakfast to make up for having to continue his late working and taking on more shifts at the firm. It was hard having to accept that her dad was too busy for her anymore, but she dealt with it.

By lunch, Liv was a mess at the table after finding out there was going to be a class test in her business class and was in desperate need of assistance. Pepper was always good at business and understood almost everything in the class, and once she sat down at the table and talked Liv through it, everything seemed to settle back down.

''Don't you listen in class?'' Pepper asked, confused as to why Liv was understanding her but not the teacher.

''I...I do listen, but-''

''Benjamin Hale sits in front of her,'' Jennifer cut in. ''That's why,''

Liv groaned in frustration and looked over to her friend with a glare. Jennifer shrugged her shoulders as if everyone already knew about Liv's crush on the footballer, but Liv only hit her head down on the table with another groan.

''Shut up Jen,'' she shook her head against the hard table.

''Well it's true, if you wanna pass that class you have to admit it,'' her friend argued.

''Who's Benjamin Hale...'' Pepper trailed off, realizing it was the footballer that wouldn't leave her alone at Tony's. ''Oh, right, yeah I think I know,''

''I can't help it,'' Liv shook her head. ''He always turns around and says something to me or does something and I just...I can't concentrate because he's...ugh, I'm going to fail that class,''

Pepper reached over and put her hands on her friend's arm.

''No you wont,'' she chuckled. ''Just because it's hard to concentrate in class doesn't mean you're doomed, I'm gonna help you, remember?''

Liv smiled over to her friend. ''Thanks Pepper,''

* * *

''Are you going to be home any afternoon this week?'' Pepper asked her dad in annoyance a few days later as she got ready for school. ''I mean, the only time I've seen you this week is when you took me to breakfast which, let's face it, was a guilt trip on me about you working,''

''I have a big case at work-''

''You always do dad,'' Pepper rolled her eyes. ''At least I'm learning some independence considering I'm practically living alone,''

Pepper's father slammed his coffee cup down on the table and closed his eyes for a moment, trying to calm himself down. He understood why Pepper was angry at him, but he didn't want to deal with this right now. He had come home late from the firm again and he had an early start. Arguing was not a high priority right now.

''I told you, I have to make a good impression if I want to get in a good position at the firm here,'' he told her angrily, putting his hands on his hips. ''Don't you want to stay here?''

''I get that, but I moved here with my _dad _and so far I've seen you like three times and we've been living here for over three weeks,'' she told him. ''You know what? I don't care, just go to work and I'll see you again next week, how about that?''

''Pepper,'' Mark called out to her as she slung her bag over her back and walked toward the door. ''Virginia!''

''Don't!" Pepper looked over to him. ''Don't call me that,''

The next thing Mark heard was the front door slamming and Pepper speeding off in his car. He didn't like fighting with his daughter, but he had to make this work and he had to put in the effort at work. Pepper just had to find a way to adapt to how things were now, because they were going to be like this for a long time yet.

* * *

Pepper was, again, late for school that morning. She had sped all the way here, but she didn't want to leave her car for a while, she just wanted to be by herself so she could calm down. She was so angry at her dad even though she understood why he had to work so much, it just annoyed her to the point where she couldn't hold in her anger anymore, something had to be said and now it had ruined her whole day and she wasn't going to see her dad for another couple of days due his work schedule.

Finally, Pepper left her car and began walking into the school, but she didn't walk toward the building. Instead she walked into the field where she sat and lunch, sitting down behind the big tree and leaning back against it as she lit a cigarette, trying to get rid of her bad mood. All her friends were in class where she was supposed to be, but she enjoyed being alone, despite how often she was.

She had been sitting there for a while before she saw shadows approaching behind her and she looked up to see Mr. Williams, her chemistry teacher, walking over to her with an angry glare, his hands on his hips.

''Virginia Potts,'' he shook his head. ''I didn't pick you out to be a student who would skip class, or smoke on school grounds,''

Pepper sighed and put her head against the tree behind her, wishing she had just skipped school entirely that day and drove somewhere else.

''I normally wouldn't,'' she sighed, putting out her cigarette. ''I'm having a bad day sir, won't happen again,''

''Well, it's about to get worse young lady,'' Mr. Williams shook his head again in disappointment. ''You've got two options,''

Hours later at the end of the school day, Pepper sat in the chemistry room waiting for Mr. Williams. He had given her the choice of doing an after school detention that day or being sent to the principal's office which would result in a phone call home and a comment on her permanent school record. She was having one of the worst days she'd had in a long time, and she thought it couldn't have gotten any worse. That was until she heard the classroom door open up and the groan of a boy walking through it. Pepper looked over to see none other than Tony Stark walking through the door and looking over to her, his lips turning upwards into a satisfied smirk.

''You've got to be kidding me,''

* * *

**Thank you guys for reading this story and encouraging me with this and My Life With You, I promise I'll have a new chapter for that up as soon as I can, but so far all my creativeness is fueling this story as I can see where I can go with it and I have plenty of teenage-angst ideas! PLEASE REVIEW!**


	5. Chapter 5

''Well, well,'' Tony grinned, noticing how annoyed she was by his presence. ''This is going to be an interesting afternoon,''

Pepper could not believe how bad her luck had been that day. She thought staying back for detention was bad, but the idea of spending time isolated in a room with Tony Stark was not appealing at all. He took a seat at the table in front of her and kicked his feet up on top of the desk and put his hands behind his head, relaxing.

''Since when do you actually do detention?'' Pepper asked, sitting back in her seat, furthering herself from Tony. ''I thought you were a rebel,''

Tony chuckled. ''Yeah, well it's this or I get kicked out of a class that I need on my graduate form,''

Tony's father made sure all of his classes were approved by himself and that Tony would pass with flying colors. Stark Industries was a family company and Howard made sure Tony understood that one day he would be working there as well, and he had to graduate all of his classes otherwise, Tony didn't know how his father would react. Tony didn't always get along with Howard, in fact they rarely did, but if Tony was kicked out of chemistry, things would be a lot worse.

''What are you here for?'' he asked.

''My dog ate my homework,'' she told him with a blank expression.

''Can I ask you_ one_ thing and get a straight answer?'' he turned around to her. ''What's your problem with me?''

Tony was literally hanging off his seat for her answer when the door opened again and Mr. Williams walked in with a file of papers. He saw the two of them sitting at the back of the class and he knew he done the right thing by bringing them a task to do. He knew what Tony was like, and he wasn't letting him get through detention as if it was a free period.

''These papers need to organized alphabetically and by colors,'' he told them, putting the stack down on the table in front of them, making a loud vibrating noise due to how big the stack actually was. ''I'll by in my staff room right outside the door, so no funny business, got it Stark?''

''Sure,'' Tony nodded.

''Sir, I admit what I did was stupid, but I...I have somewhere I need to be...'' she lied, trying desperately to get out of spending the afternoon in a room with Tony organizing papers. ''I have plans,''

''Well Miss Potts, you should have thought about those plans before you skipped class and decided to smoke on the school grounds,'' he told her, refusing to let her get out of this. ''I'll be in my staff room,''

When the door closed, Pepper sighed and sat back in her chair, letting her hands droop by her sides lazily. She wished this wasn't happening, but it was, and she wanted to get it over and done with as soon as possible.

''Skipping class _and _smoking,'' Tony nodded. ''Very rebellious, Pepper _Potts,_'' he grinned at the fact that he now knew her last name.

Pepper sighed and stood up with a roll of her eyes, walking over to the pile of papers and sitting up on the desk they were on to organize. If she was being forced to stay here all afternoon with Tony, she was going to get something productive done and keep her busy. She wasn't in the mood for his games and comments, but she knew he wasn't going to give up. He had a persistent personality.

They remained silent for a while as Pepper spread the papers out in front of her, beginning a to organize them all in front of her alphabetically. Tony wasn't so motivated to do any of it until he realized Pepper wasn't going to entertain him with a conversation just yet, so he began sorting them with her, much to her surprise. He had wanted to have a chance to talk with her again and being left in detention together for the afternoon had been the perfect excuse, but he had failed to anticipate the fact that she wouldn't be so willing to talk to him.

''What are these papers anyway,'' Tony asked as he put them in their piles.

''Science staff's budget,'' Pepper told him with a yawn. ''Apparently this was too exciting for them to do themselves,''

They continued to shuffle the piles around and place more papers onto them silently, only communicating through sighs of boredom or yawning. Tony hated sitting in silence anywhere, but he just wanted to talk to her, and it was annoying the hell out of him that for once in his life, he didn't know what to talk to this girl about. He didn't know what he could possibly say to spark her interest, but he couldn't stand the silence any longer.

''So why'd you skip class?'' he asked, looking up at her.

''I didn't feel like going,'' she mumbled. ''Why didn't _you_ never turn up for detention?''

Tony shrugged. ''Never do,''

''Right, and you're here now because...''

''Believe me, this was a last resort choice,'' he sighed, laying back on the table. ''But it worked out pretty well, didn't it?''

''Oh yeah, this is great,'' Pepper told him in a monotone, unimpressed voice. ''But unlike you, I'm not here for the rest of the week,''

''What makes you think I'm gonna turn up for the rest of the week?'' he asked with a playful grin on his face.

Pepper rolled her eyes and continued organizing, hoping it would make the time go by faster. She didn't really have any plans after school, but anything was better than being here with Tony sorting out papers.

''You hate me, I get it,'' Tony sat up, looking at her. ''But I just wanna know why. You don't even know me,..''

''I don't hate you,'' she told him, her eyes still not looking over to him. ''But I'm not particularly fond of you either,''

Tony bit his bottom lip in annoyance. He had spoken to the girl one time, and she had such a strong opinion of him. Granted, he had done many things to give people a reason not to like him, particularly girls, but Pepper didn't even know him.

''Yeah?'' he leaned back in his chair. ''Well I'm not particularly fond of _you _either,'' he responded, internally groaning at how childish he sounded.

Pepper chuckled lightly. ''That really doesn't bother me,''

''Doesn't bother me either,'' Tony shrugged, folding his arms.

It felt like they had been in the room for hours when Mr. Williams finally walked back in to check on them. He was busy in his office doing something pointless, Pepper assumed. He looked at both of them with suspicious eyes and walked over to them, seeing the stack of papers on the table in front of them, organizing in just the way he wanted.

''Up to your standard?'' Tony asked, laying on his table.

''It'll do,'' Mr. Williams mumbled as he looked over to the clock. ''Although since you've finished that rather quickly, I better find you some other things to do to fill your detention time,''

They both groaned at their teachers words, hoping that because they finished the organizing they could go. Mr. Williams happened to enjoy their annoyance at him, knowing that by giving them a terrible detention, he wouldn't have to deal with them again, and Tony had never turned up to a detention before, so he was going to show him what would happen if he continued his behavior in class.

''How does cleaning sound?'' Mr. Williams grinned. ''You can start with the board and the cupboard in the corner,''

''Are you kidding?'' Pepper's mouth hung low, unable to stop herself from her comment.

''Detention's not a vacation Miss Potts,'' Mr. Williams told her as he walked over to the door. ''Anymore complaining and I'll think of more chores for you both,''

The door closed with a slight echo and Tony and Pepper stood in the middle of the room looking around at what they had to clean. The room was huge, but if they wanted to get out of here before midnight, they had to do it. Pepper hoped Tony would put in just as much effort as she was going to so they could leave earlier, but when she looked over to him his arms were folded as he glared toward the door.

''What a dick,'' he shook his head.

''Yeah well, I want to go home,'' she told him as she walked over to the board, clearing all of the marker that was on it.

Tony was trying his best not to give in to doing what Mr. Williams said, but he wanted to go home as well, and he knew they would be out quicker if he just helped. He walked over to the cupboard and began tidying the equipment leftover from the last lesson.

''What are you doing?'' Tony asked when he looked over to see Pepper dragging a stepladder over to one of the larger cupboards and looking up at the mess that dangled over the side.

''Cleaning,'' she told him. ''That okay?''

Tony shook his head and rolled his eyes. He honestly didn't know what he had done to make her hate him so much. So he didn't have the best reputation when it came to the girls at his school, but Pepper didn't even know him and he couldn't help getting angry at how she was acting toward him.

''You know, you don't have to be such a bitch,'' he told her as he turned his back and continued cleaning.

''Excuse me?'' she looked over to him once she reached the top step.

''You don't even know me, so stop acting like you do,''

Pepper rolled her eyes and turned back to the top of the cupboard.

''No I don't know you, so how about we just get this stupid detention over with so we can keep it that way,'' she told him, a little nastier than she intended.

''Couldn't agree more,'' he told her and he shook his head with anger at her words.

As they continued their silence, Tony could hear a creaking noise over by Pepper and when he looked over, he saw the leg of the stepladder shaking. It was covered in dust and had cracks all over it, justifying how old it was. Tony kept his eye on it, but just as Pepper reached up to the top of the cupboard, Tony saw the wooden leg give way and he rushed over as Pepper gasped loudly, falling down on top of Tony as he tried his best to run over and catch her.

Pepper winced in Tony's arms as they laid on the ground, Tony's arms around her from the fall until she sat up and gripped her ankle, biting down on her lip through the pain.

''Are you okay?'' he asked worriedly as he sat up too, ignoring the pain in his back.

''Fuck,'' she cried out loudly, ''My ankle, I think I twisted it,''

''Uh...'' Tony looked at her ankle which looked definitely dislocated. ''I think you broke it,''

''No way,'' she shook her head. ''I can still move- Ow!'' she yelped.

''Yeah that's definitely broken,'' Tony told her. ''You should probably go to the emergency room,''

''You think?'' she looked up at him angrily, pushing him away.

''Fine, I _was _going to offer to drive you there,'' he held his hands up.

''Well I can drive myself,'' she stood up on one leg, hopping over to her bag.

''Suit yourself,'' he shrugged, leaning back on the desk and watching her.

Pepper struggled as she picked her bag up, doing her best to hop to the door. Tony watched on as she glared at him every time he made a comment. He wanted to help her, but she was more stubborn than he had ever thought and would rather do this to herself. Pepper stuck to her words and kept walking until it got to a point where she just couldn't make it any further and she began falling back, except she didn't hit the ground. Tony stood behind her, holding her up and rolling his eyes at her.

''Still think you can drive yourself?''

''You're an ass,'' she looked away from him.

''Uh huh,'' he nodded. ''Well how about instead of hobbling everywhere you just let me drive you to the hospital-''

''I don't need your help-''

''-so we can both get out of this hell, okay?''

Pepper huffed and folded her arms as they stood near the door. She needed to get her ankle seen to and there was no way she was going to be able to drive, but taking an offer from Tony was like giving him everything he wanted, and she couldn't begin to think why he would do something nice for her considering she had spent all afternoon making it clear she didn't want to be friends. But she needed to get to the hospital and he wanted out of detention, it was an easy option.

''Fine,''


	6. Chapter 6

Pepper hated the fact she was accepting help from Tony Stark, but she was out of options. Her ankle hurt beyond words and as much as she wanted to, there was no way she was going to be able to drive herself to the hospital to get it checked out. They had hurried out of the side building door, neglecting to tell Mr. Williams they were leaving, but neither of them cared at the moment.

Tony held Pepper around her waist as her arm was over his shoulder, supporting her weight as he helped her over to his car. Pepper shouldn't have been surprised that his car happened to be an Audi and one of the most expensive, luxurious cars she could imagine. He helped her into the passenger seat before they left, silently sitting in the traffic on the road.

''Ouch!'' Pepper gasped, closing her eyes in pain.

''Stop moving it then,'' Tony told her, looking down at her swollen ankle.

''Well if you didn't turn the corners like an idiot, it wouldn't move, would it?'' she snapped.

''Do you want to get to the hospital or not?'' he argued.

They sat in silence for the remainder of the drive until they finally got to the hospital. Tony parked in one of the staff parks before walking around to the other side and helping Pepper out, holding her up. They managed to make their way to the emergency room where a bored woman behind the desk passed Tony a form and told them to fill it out and wait their turn. Tony hated hospitals. They smelled like sterile bandages and metal, they looked like an institution and all he could hear was sick people and crying kids. However, he sat down next to Pepper on the seat in the waiting room, sighing heavily.

''I'm fine, you can go,'' she looked at him. ''Thanks for bringing me here,''

''Don't you want me to take you home?'' he asked, confused.

''I can get a cab, it's cool,''

''A cab? What about your parents?''

''Uh, it's only my dad. He wouldn't leave work for something like this anyway,''

Tony nodded his head in understanding. He didn't ask questions as to why her mother was out of the picture and he had the feeling it was a sensitive topic. However, he knew all too well what it was like to have parents who put their work before their children. Tony's parents were barely ever home from work and when they were, they were still working somehow or out of town on business. It wasn't the most traditional family set up, but he was used to it by now, he was independent.

''I'll take you home,'' he told her, getting comfortable in his seat, putting his arms behind his head as he leaned back. ''It's almost night and well, cabs are kind of gross,''

''No it's fine-''

''If you're trying to argue out of it, it won't work, I'm really annoying and you kind of have no choice,''

Pepper sighed and continued writing on her form, filling out all the necessary sections. She hated having to seem so helpless, but she couldn't deny that she needed some help and Tony was more than willing to offer it. Sitting in the waiting room with him, knowing that he was only there for her, made Pepper feel terrible about the afternoon they had spent together. She had been horrible to him and here he was doing everything to help her.

''Thanks,''

* * *

It had taken another ten minutes of sitting in the waiting room for Tony to get annoyed at how long everything was taking and go back up to the desk, demanding Pepper get seen to and even offering a bribe. When she finally got seen to, he stayed in the waiting room until she came back out on crutches ten minutes later, her ankle plastered up to her knee. It reminded Tony of when he broke his own ankle years ago when he was jumping off the roof at Rhodey's.

Getting the crutches into his Audi proved to be a bit of a struggle but after getting them to fit, Tony began driving Pepper home. She lived in a nice part of town in a big house, which made him wonder what profession her father was in, but he didn't bring it up. It was around 6.30 when Pepper made it home, thanking him for his help.

''You good?'' Tony asked after he had walked to her side of the car, helping her up on her crutches.

''Yeah, I'll be fine,'' she nodded. ''And thanks again,''

Tony smiled. ''No problem,''

Pepper watched as he walked away, thinking about everything he had done for her today and she couldn't help the sense of guilt she was feeling. She had judged him so much on something so small, he didn't deserve that, although Pepper didn't trust easily and she still didn't know him well at all, but she needed to clear it up.

''Tony,'' she called out, watching as he stopped and turned toward her. ''Uh, about today...I'm sorry I was such a bitch,''

''You're admitting it?'' Tony grinned playfully. ''So I _was _right?''

''Hey, don't push it,'' she shook her head. ''I had a bad day, that's all,''

Tony nodded his head. ''Let's just say you owe me one,''

* * *

The whole way home, Tony thought about how his afternoon had turned out. When he first found out he would be spending afternoon detention with Pepper, he didn't expect it to end with sitting in the waiting room at the hospital. He got the obvious hint that Pepper didn't like him, but Tony wasn't one to back down just because someone didn't like him, especially when it was for no reason at all. Pepper was more complex than he ever thought, and for the first time, he wanted to know why.

When Tony arrived home, he could see his parents car parked in the driveway and he knew he would be questioned as to why he was so late coming home. That's if they noticed he was late at all. They worked so often they weren't usually here when Tony finished school, it was odd to see them home that evening.

''Hey mom,'' Tony threw his keys onto the bench.

''Hi honey,'' Maria smiled before getting back to looking around her desk. ''I'm just grabbing a few things for your father, we've got a late board meeting at the company, but I've ordered a pizza for you, your favorite,''

''Thanks,'' Tony folded his arms, leaning against the door frame. ''Are you guys gonna be late?''

''I have no idea, you know what the board's like,'' Maria sighed. ''And Tony, your father got a call from the school this afternoon about you having detention and then leaving,''

Tony groaned and hung his head low. Howard hating hearing from the school about Tony's behavior or complaints about whatever he had been doing. Howard and Tony didn't have the greatest father-son relationship, and whenever Howard heard about how Tony was acting, it only started an argument between them. Howard wanted Tony to follow in his footsteps, get the perfect grades and go to MIT just like he did and then one day run the company, but Tony hated that Howard couldn't see that he was just a kid and he was going to act and rebel like any other kid his age. Tony didn't care about the company like Howard did, and their relationship was always strained.

''I talked to him about it, don't worry,'' Maria told him once she saw the worry and dread in his eyes. ''But you know how he is Tony, just be more...mindful,''

Tony nodded his head, wanting to finish the topic before he started another argument about it all.

''I will,''

''Okay, I'll see you tomorrow, bye sweetie,''

''Yeah...''

The door closed before Tony had a chance to say goodbye, but he was all to used to this behavior by now. It wasn't the warmest welcome home, but the company came first as always, and Tony's only job was to focus on doing well in school. Well enough to reach Howard's standards, get the perfect marks, get into the best college and graduate MIT. Although for Tony Stark, that wasn't a difficult task since he was more intelligent than all of the teachers at the school.

Tony walked upstairs to his bedroom and threw himself down on the bed, letting out a long sigh in response to the day he had. It hadn't been the most productive or entertaining day, but he could still smile about it all because he knew now that he and Pepper had something to bond over, even if it happened to be a broken ankle.

* * *

Pepper had been laying on the couch that night when her dad arrived home from work. It was the earliest he had ever been home, and he even had take out food containers in his hand. Their argument that morning had obviously gotten to him and he wanted to let her know he understood how difficult this whole thing was for her.

''I heard you left detention today,'' he called out from the kitchen where he got them both a drink and carried in the food. ''Care to tell me why you- What happened to you!'' he asked with wide eyes, noticing her plastered leg and crutches.

''Oh right, I broke my ankle,'' Pepper sat up, shrugging. ''Which is why I left detention, I had to go to the emergency room. It's no big deal,''

''No big deal? Why didn't you call me?''

''Would you have left work?'' she asked and her father looked back at her sadly. ''I knew you had a big case as usual, I didn't want to bother you,''

''Well you should have called me, I could have...I could have gotten away for a while to take you to the hospital,'' he shook his head. ''How'd you get there?''

''Uh, I got a lift with a friend,'' she told him, trying to seem casual since she didn't want him asking questions. ''I'm fine dad, it's okay. I fell off a stepladder, it's not a big deal. I'll call you next time,''

Mark shook his head but sat down, handing her a container of Chinese food. He couldn't help feeling guilty that his daughter didn't feel inclined to call him and let him know what had happened, that she was so convinced she came second to his career that she didn't even bother to ask for his help. He couldn't blame her for thinking that though, he worked too much and he knew that, but this was the first time he was doing something he was good at and had a stable career that paid well, he had to be dedicated and Pepper was old enough to take care of herself for the most part. Still, he knew he had to make some adjustments.

''How long do you have the cast on for?'' he asked.

''A few weeks,''

''Just so we're clear, _I'll _be the one taking you to get it off, alright?''

Pepper nodded and gave him a light smile. ''Yeah, okay,''

* * *

The next day, Pepper decided to skip school and spend the day at home. Her car was still in the school parking lot and although her dad offered to drive her, facing school wasn't something she wanted to deal with that day. It was hard enough making her way around their house considering her bedroom was upstairs, but making her way around school would have been so much worse.

Pepper's phone vibrated on the kitchen bench as she was pouring a glass of juice and she managed to hobble over on her crutches to see a message from Liv flashing on the front screen.

_Hey where r u?! Please tell me ur at school today somewhere!_

Pepper grinned at her friend's message before typing a reply. It was nice to know that she had people in her life that missed her when she wasn't around, she was lucky to have them.

_No I'm not at school, I kind of broke my ankle yesterday afternoon...I'm taking the day to rest_

It wasn't a minute later when she received a reply, her phone vibrating on the bench again just as she tried to finish pouring her drink.

_What!? R u kidding? Omg I hope ur okay! Hold on I have an essay to write in History but I'm going to call u at lunch!_

Pepper chuckled at her friend's shocked response before sitting her phone down again. Finally, she got her drink poured and sat at the kitchen bench sipping at it as she looked over some of her homework that was due the next day. Even though Pepper didn't like school or many of her classes, she did all the work and managed to get the highest marks in all her subjects. She wanted to make sure she had the grades to get into a good college, it was the only way she was getting out of this place.


	7. Chapter 7

The next morning, Pepper hobbled into school on her crutches after her dad had dropped her off. Liv and Jennifer were waiting for her in the school parking lot, offering to take her bag and walk the longer way into the building to avoid all the stairs. After Pepper told them the story of how she broke her ankle, she was surprised that the only thing they managed to grasp was the fact that she had spent afternoon detention in a confined room with Tony Stark.

Pepper had picked up on the fact that all of her friends were fascinated by Tony, although they were quick to deny it, the interest was obvious. He was the most popular boy in school and they desperately wanted to know all the details of the afternoon Pepper spent with him.

''It was just detention,'' Pepper shrugged as they continued walking up the path. ''We sorted papers for the science staff and cleaned the chemistry classroom, which is where I happened to break my ankle, if that's still important,''

''But didn't you guys talk?'' Jennifer asked, folding her arms as they walked. ''He must have been flirting with you the whole time, I bet,''

Pepper sighed. ''We talked about sorting the papers and cleaning the room. Seriously, nothing happened,''

''That's weird, because he was asking about you that day as well, wasn't he Jen?'' Liv looked over to the other girl who was nodding. ''I think he has a thing for you,''

''You guys are the most dramatic people I know,'' Pepper shook her head. ''No wonder gossip gets out of hand at this school,''

''We're just _saying__,_'' Jennifer rolled her eyes. ''Oh, and warning, if Everhart finds out you spent the afternoon with her guy, she might not be to happy,''_  
_

''It was just detention!'' Pepper groaned. ''Why is everything such a big deal?''

* * *

''I'm telling you, she's looking at me,'' Rhodey argued as he smiled in the direction of one of the cheerleaders.

Tony rolled his eyes and looked over to what his friend was talking about. It had been difficult for Tony to concentrate on whatever his friends were saying to him, especially since it was now lunch break, as he kept looking around to see if Pepper was at school today. When she didn't show up the day before, he couldn't help feeling disappointed that he didn't get to see her, even if they didn't talk. He hated himself for being so invested in someone he barely knew, but he just wanted to talk her more now that it was clear she didn't completely hate him.

''She's not looking at you,'' Tony leaned back on the table, tucking his hands behind his head for comfort.

Rhodey frowned. ''Well she sure as hell isn't looking at you, if that's what you're thinking,''

''Hey, did either of you consider she might be looking at _me_?'' Happy threw his hands up from the other side of the table.

''No, it's me for sure,'' Rhodey shook his head. ''Dude, what's your problem? You've been on another planet all day,''

Tony sat up, shrugging his shoulders.

''Nothing,''

''Yeah right,'' Happy rolled his eyes, kicking his feet up on the table and leaning back. ''It's like you're being followed by a mobster or something. Who are you looking for?''

Just then, Tony's vision went black as two hands slid over his face gently.

''Is it me?''

Tony internally groaned before pushing her hands away, forcing a grin as Christine began to play with his hair, threading it through her fingers delicately. She didn't have a group of her friends with her, which was odd because she almost always did, and she kept looking at Tony as if he was meant to say something back, and then he remembered.

''Uh, yeah, you,'' he nodded. ''I was looking for you,''

Christine beamed. ''I was looking for you too, isn't that weird?''

''Crazy,'' he shook his head.

Christine jumped up to sit on the table next to Tony as Rhodey and Happy rolled their eyes and looked the other way, and that's when Tony caught sight of the red hair glowing in the sun. He knew Christine was talking to him about something, but he couldn't focus on her words since he was staring over towards Pepper. Her friends were carrying her things for her as they talked together, laughing playfully. Pepper's leg was in a plaster cast that already had a few signatures on it and her crutches proved to be an entertaining activity for everyone else to try as she sat down and ate her lunch.

All he wanted was to go over and talk to her, but he knew that couldn't happen. Tony wasn't one for caring what people thought, but it was high school, everyone had their own groups and they rarely merged. He just wanted to talk to her though and he didn't even know what about.

''Tony?''

He felt a shove on his side and he was pulled from his daze, Christine looking back at him with a confused expression.

''Uh, I didn't...I didn't get that, what did you say?''

Christine looked over to where Tony was staring and saw the new girl sitting with all her friends, a big group surrounding them as they laughed together and seemed to be having a good time compared to everyone else's group. She didn't really know much about Pepper apart from the basics and the fact that she was one of Liv's closest friends now, but she didn't know why Tony seemed to be so interested.

''I said do you want to go the dessert bar after school?'' she repeated, looking away from Pepper's group now.

''Uh yeah, sure,'' he nodded. ''Sounds good,''

* * *

It was the second last period of the day and everyone groaned when they walked into chemistry to see Mr. Williams was starting a whole new topic without them evening knowing. He wasn't the most liked teacher at the school, and these sort of things showed that when almost every student complained when they saw what was happening.

Five minutes into the lesson, just as everyone was settling down, Pepper came through the door carrying her bag with textbooks inside and gripping her crutches. Everyone looked up from their work to see her walking in and stared at her plastered leg.

''Afternoon Miss Potts,'' Mr. Williams nodded in her direction, understanding why she was late. ''Take your seat, new topic today,''

Christine stared at Pepper as she slowly found her seat at the back of the room as set her crutches on the side of the desk. She wondered what was her deal and why she hadn't made herself known at the school since that was what most of the new girls wanted to do. She barely knew Pepper existed. However, it was clear she existed to Tony when Christine turned back to face the front of the room, seeing Tony at his desk in front of her and looking at the back of the room in Pepper's direction.

Just as the class was finishing, Pepper could tell Mr. Williams was about to say something about the detention the other day since he kept looking between her and Tony continuously. She just hoped she didn't have to stay back because of leaving the last detention

''Mr. Stark, as you know, your detention this evening has been postponed,'' Mr. Williams called out as the lesson was ending. ''As for you Miss Potts, you have a valid excuse. Although, next time you two leave I'd like to know about it, are we clear?''

Pepper and Tony both nodded their heads, glancing between one another and back to Mr. Williams before the class was dismissed. Christine didn't know what Mr. Williams was talking about, but she was definitely going to ask Tony about it this afternoon. Whatever it was Pepper was trying to do, Christine wasn't going to let it get in the way of their relationship.

* * *

''Hi, I'm looking for Mark Potts,'' Pepper spoke into her phone as she stood in the parking lot next to her car.

Pepper's father had told her that morning to call him once she was finished school and he would come get her, but he hadn't been answering his cell and she had resorted to calling the firm.

''Mr. Potts is in a meeting right now, is this an emergency?'' The secretary asked.

''No, I guess not,''

Pepper sighed and leaned back against her car as other students left the parking lot one by one. She knew the idea of her dad getting out of work for five minutes was too good to be true, but she didn't think he would actually ignore her calls or go into a meeting when he knew she would be stranded at the school.

On the other side of the parking lot, Christine Everhart jumped into the passenger seat of Tony's Audi as Tony began driving off through the lot. She loved riding in Tony's car, not only because it was so luxurious, but because every person they drove past looked in their direction. It was hard to miss the expensive car cruising past every other student's second hand vehicle, and Christine lapped up the attention.

As Christine looked out at her group of friends waving at her, Tony could see Pepper standing over by her car alone, looking less than impressed. He wondered how she was getting home since she obviously couldn't drive herself, and he couldn't even offer her a ride since his car was only two seats.

''How embarrassing,'' Christine chuckled and she looked over to Pepper. ''Are her parents seriously leaving her stranded at school? Wow,''

Tony should have been shocked with how Christine was acting, but she was always like this. He gripped the steering wheel tighter and focused on getting out of the parking lot, trying to avoid looking at Pepper as they drove past and Christine made another comment under her breath.

''Come on, give her a break,'' Tony shook his head.

Christine looked over to him with a confused look on her face.

''What?'' she asked, her mouth hanging open. ''Why are you sticking up for her?''

''I'm not sticking up for her, I'm just saying...forget it,'' he sighed.

''No, clearly there's something I'm missing Tony,'' Christine turned in her seat to look at him. ''Just tell me, what is it between you and her? What was Mr. Williams talking about today? Do you like her? Are you...are you cheating on me?''

Tony couldn't process the amount of questions she was throwing at him. He hated when she done this to him. Everything was questioned and everything he did was analyzed as to why he was doing it.

''No, I'm not cheating on you,'' he rolled his eyes.

''Then what is it? What happened between you two?''

''I had detention a few days ago and so did she and she fell over and broke her ankle so I drove her to the hospital, that's it,'' he told her with a louder voice. ''Can you let it go now?''

Christine stayed silent as she turned back to face the road. She knew there was something else going on between the new girl and Tony, she just didn't believe him. Tony was a playboy and she knew that when they got together, but she wasn't going to let their relationship be ruined. She was going to make sure there was nothing going on, even if it meant she had to make that message very clear to Pepper herself.

They stayed in the parking lot a while longer, waiting for the many cars to slowly leave onto the road, and Tony could see a car pulling up to Pepper in his rear view mirror, and he couldn't help watching to see what was going on.

''Do you need a ride Pepper?''

Pepper looked over at the car to see Benjamin Hale grinning over to her. She internally groaned at the idea of Benjamin being the one to offer her help, she wasn't going to get in the car with him. Ever since Tony's party, she got a weird feeling about Benjamin and she preferred to keep her distance from him, even in that meant staying stranded in a car park because she refused to go with him.

''Thanks, but I'm fine,'' Pepper politely declined.

''Are you sure?'' he encouraged. ''Because I don't mind, we could stop and get something to eat as well if you want?''

''I'm sure, thank you though,'' she nodded. ''I'm uh...Liv's giving me a lift home actually, so it's cool,''

Benjamin nodded his head. ''Okay then, see you 'round Pepper,''

Pepper watched as he drove away, pulling out her phone to call Liv who was still in the parking lot waiting to get out. She couldn't believe her luck lately, everything was going against her. She had only been here for over a month now and she already had too much drama in her life as well as a broken ankle. All she wanted to do was forget about everything and not have to worry about whatever was going on, but for now she had to deal with it.


	8. Chapter 8

The next Friday at school, everyone had been preparing for the football game that night. It had been two weeks since the last one had been played at the school and their team had done well enough to still be leading in the competition. Liv had been practicing all day with the cheer squad and Pepper had been stuck sitting at the table with her leg on the opposite seat, watching her friend.

''I can't get that spin right,'' Liv shook her head, trying once again.

Jennifer and Emily sat the table and kept reassuring her she was fine, but Pepper just sat silently, unable to offer any words of advice. Once again, Tony was throwing an after party for the game no matter who won, and Pepper needed no convincing as to whether or not she was going to go. The past week and a half she had been stuck in a plaster cast, unable to even drive herself anywhere or enjoy herself and all she wanted to do was forget about everything. She didn't want to worry about all the arguments she had been having with her dad about him never being home, about school work, about all of the tiny things going on her life that was annoying her, she wanted to just have a night where she could forget about all of it, and she was taking tonight as her opportunity just as everyone else was.

Tony was also looking forward to the night ahead, and as usual he was more excited for the party than the actual game they'd be celebrating. Ever since Christine had become suspicious of Pepper, she had been sitting with Tony and his friends every break at school just so she knew Pepper saw them together. Christine wasn't a girl to feel threatened by another, she always made her point clear, but this time it was different. Tony was defending Pepper against anything nasty Christine would say, and she didn't know why.

''Are you sitting in the front row tonight babe?'' Christine asked him as they sat back on the table at lunch that day.

''Uh, maybe I don't know,'' he shrugged.

''What do you mean?'' she let her mouth hang open in shock. ''I'll be cheering tonight, I want you in the front row,''

''Yeah but the guys like sitting up the top, you can see more of the game,'' he trailed off, looking at the serious expression on her face. ''But uh, I might sit front row, yeah, no big deal, I'm sure they won't mind,''

Rhodey and Happy groaned from the other side of the table, rolling their eyes at Tony's ability to be manipulated so fast. They hadn't exactly enjoyed Christine's company over the last week, but they tolerated her because they knew what Tony would have to deal with if they didn't.

''Is _she _invited tonight?'' Christine asked, leaning back on her elbows as she gestured over to Pepper sitting with her friends.

''They all are,'' Tony shrugged.

''Tony, she has a broken leg, why would you invite her to a party?''

''It's a broken ankle,'' Tony corrected. ''And I invited everyone, what's the problem?''

''Nothing, I just don't know why you'd make her have to embarrass herself in front of everyone because she'd be on crutches all night,''

Tony didn't say anything to her, knowing if he did it would only start an argument where Christine would be suspicious of whatever was going on between them and it was result in her going over to Pepper and saying something nasty, and Tony knew Pepper didn't deserve that when she'd done nothing wrong. He was the one who defended her and he was the one who was always looking over to her whenever she was around. They hadn't spoken in over a week, but he still couldn't get her off his mind for some reason, and it was driving him crazy.

* * *

Pepper sat in the living room that afternoon, leaning down to her ankle and slipping a brace over her leg, pulling it up to her knee before adjusting the straps. The boot-like brace was given to her from her doctor to wear if crutches became unbearable or she felt more comfortable walking on her leg. She didn't want to spend her night hobbling around on crutches at the football game or at the party, and this was just like wearing a large boot, it was perfect.

''Okay I'll be gone for most of the night, there's a meeting, I'm not sure how long it'll go for,'' Mark walked into the living room with his briefcase in his hand.

''Okay,'' Pepper mumbled, sitting back and folding her arms as she watched the television.

''I'm sorry,'' he sighed. ''I'll_ really_ try to be here for breakfast tomorrow,''

''Sure, okay,'' she nodded with a smile.

''Okay,'' he nodded, happier now. ''Are you hanging out with your friends tonight?''

''Yeah, we're going to watch the game at school and hang out,''

''Well good, good, it's nice to see you...getting out and having fun. They're welcome to come over here if you want. I'll see you later sweetie, bye,'' Mark waved as he walked out the door.

''Bye,'' she sighed once the door was closed, throwing her head back to rest on the couch.

Pepper sat there for another ten minutes watching bad reality television before she received a text message from Jennifer.

_Hey I'll pick u up in 10, _

Pepper smiled to herself when she read the message, excitement building. All she had been wanting to do was get out of this house and have some fun, and it was finally time to forget about everything that had happened over the past two and a half weeks, she deserved to enjoy herself.

* * *

''What's up ladies?'' Benjamin greeted Pepper and the girls when they walked into the gate.

''Evening Benji,'' Jennifer nodded, looking over to Liv who was smiling at him as if mesmerized.

''I see you all have some _beverages_,'' he laughed, pointing at their cups of soda. ''How would you like to start the party a little early?''

They all looked to Benjamin's hand as he pulled out a bottle of vodka from his pockets, a mischievous grin on his face. Pepper instantly handed him her cup as Liv and Jennifer stared at her.

''What?'' Pepper shrugged. ''I don't pay attention to the game anyway,''

''Yeah, good point,'' Jennifer laughed and handed Benjamin her cup as well.

''Well...I have to cheer,'' Liv sighed. ''And I already can't get the spin right,''

''Hey, you don't _have _to, it's okay,'' Pepper smiled, not wanting to make her friend feel left out.

''Aw come on, _one _drink won't affect your twirling or whatever, have some fun Liv!'' Benjamin encouraged.

''No, if she doesn't want to-''

''Yeah, one drink won't hurt,'' Liv handed him her cup.

''Liv,'' Pepper looked at her confused.

''What? It's fine Pepper, it won't even affect me,'' Liv shrugged, taking the now alcohol beverage and drinking a mouthful.

Pepper could see how different Liv acted when she was around Benjamin, and it wasn't in a good way. It was like she was trying to impress him by doing whatever he thought was cool and it always disadvantaged her, especially since she was failing business because of her crush on him, but there wasn't much Pepper could do now but go along with everything. It wasn't her life to interfere in.

''Okay I'll see you guys when the game's over,'' Liv threw her now empty cup in the bin.

''Alright Liv!'' Benjamin clapped with a laugh.

Pepper and Jennifer made their way up the stands until they could find a seat in the back row, not that they cared where they sat in particular. There were families everywhere watching the game and the seats were full of students, just like the last game Pepper had attended. She looked down the middle of the stairs and saw Tony down at the bottom with his hands around Christine's waist, giving her a kiss before she walked off onto the field.

Pepper had heard about Tony being a bit of a player, but she was surprised he was actually in a relationship, and with someone like Christine. Then again, Tony's personality could sometimes match Christine's and they seemed the perfect couple, but there was something about the pairing that made Pepper wonder why Tony would be with someone like her, but she cared too little to think anymore of it.

* * *

The game was over and there were high spirits considering their school had lost, but they were still in the competition, therefore there was still something to party for. Pepper and her friends got a ride with one of the cheerleaders to Tony's place where he had been for the past ten minutes making sure everything was set up, and she couldn't help wondering where his parents were all of the time, not that she was one to have anything to say about it.

''Welcome,'' Tony threw his hands in the air as people began swarming into his house. ''Drinks in every corner, make yourself at home, but not really, you guys are outta here by 3am according to my _mother _here, James Rhodes,''

Rhodey glared up at his friend who stood on the table to speak. He knew how out of control Tony's parties got and he didn't want anything damaged because he knew Tony would be sorry about it in the morning, and he especially knew how angry Howard would be. Rhodey always looked out for Tony, no matter how much he had to put up with from him.

''What's up crankypants?'' Tony stepped down, hitting his friend on the shoulder.

''Nothing man,'' Rhodey rolled his eyes. ''I'm getting a drink, do you want anything?''

''Uh yeah, I'll have whatever you're having,''

Tony roamed around the room as Rhodey went off to get their drinks, looking at everyone who had turned up. For a night where their school had lost the game, he was surprised to see how many people actually came. All the footballers, all the cheerleaders, all the seniors and almost everyone was there. Tony's parties were always infamous and no one ever wanted to miss any, and he had one almost every single weekend, which explained why he was so popular.

''Tony,'' Christine's voice came from behind him. ''Are you avoiding me?''

''What? No,'' Tony shook his head quickly. ''I was _looking _for you, actually,''

Christine smiled at him sweetly. ''Aw, you're cute,''

''Aren't I?'' he nodded, wrapping his arm around her waist.

''Let's go get me a drink,'' she kissed him softly. ''Something _strong__,_''

* * *

It had only been three hours, and Pepper had consumed more alcohol than she thought was physically possible. All she had been wanting all week was to forget about everything that was happening, and she finally did. Nothing worried her, nothing made her stop and think she shouldn't be doing this and she didn't even care about how sick she would feel tomorrow.

''That's so weird that you broke you ankle last year,'' Pepper laughed at Melissa, one of the cheerleaders. ''Because mine's broken _now_, how weird is that?''

Jennifer and Liv were with her as well, laughing at everything Pepper was saying and almost falling over due to how carried away they became. As there was at the last party, there was a group around them now, all talking, and Pepper was becoming friends with even more people that she didn't know yet. However, when she turned around, she knew she wasn't going to be making friends with the person she saw.

''You almost ruined the whole routine tonight,'' Christine told Liv nastily as she sipped her drink. ''If you can't get it right for next time, you might not be on the squad for much longer,''

Pepper could see how upset Liv was becoming as Christine told her, in front of everyone, just how bad she performed that night. Her eyes glistened with tears as she looked at her feet, trying not to break down as the head cheerleader humiliated her in front of her friends for no reason. Christine was a horrible person, and this all just proved that to Pepper and she couldn't watch one of her closest friends being made feel pathetic.

''Hey, that's enough,'' Pepper walked over, pushing Liv back away from Christine who was inches from her face.

Christine looked at Pepper in shock for a moment before she folded her arms. Pepper could see Christine's eyes looking at her from top to bottom, judging every single piece of her before settling back on her face.

''Well if it isn't Pepper Potts,'' she shook her head. ''I think your friend here can fight her own battles, you can go now,''

Tony could hear Christine's voice getting louder as he turned around, ignoring the group he was with as he saw his girlfriend staring straight at Pepper with an evil glare. He had no idea what was going on, but he knew it wasn't going to end well as he made his way over.

''There doesn't need to be a 'battle','' Pepper helped move Liv over to the side with Jennifer, making sure Christine didn't victimize her any more. ''And I don't take orders, so you can forget that idea right now,''

Everyone around them began to quieten down as they took notice of the argument in progress, looking over to the two girls. Christine wasn't a girl to be messed with, and no one spoke to her like that.

''Listen to me Pepper Potts,'' Christine stepped closer. ''You don't talk to me like you have a privilege to say something and you _don't _tell me what to do,''

Pepper looked over behind Christine where she saw Tony standing, watching on as the two argued. He didn't know when or even if he should intervene, but he didn't know how far this all was going to go. When Christine saw Pepper's eyes looking over behind her, she turned around and laughed back in Pepper's face.

''Oh I get it now,'' Christine chuckled, clapping her hands. ''You like him, don't you? That's why you're always staring over at me, staring at him, you're jealous and guess what? He doesn't want you. He's with me and you're all alone, like it's supposed to be. So stop walking around like you own the damn place,''

Christine ended her argument by downing the rest of her drink and walking off, leaving Pepper in the middle of a large group all staring at her in shock. She didn't know what to do right now, but she hated the fact that they were all staring at her thinking she was just like all of the other girls, pining over Tony Stark who was standing in front of her, staring back. He didn't know what to do either. He knew what Christine was like, but he didn't know she would do this to Pepper. Humiliate her in front of everyone and make up something he was sure wasn't true, in fact, it may have been the exact reverse to what was going on.

''Whatever,'' Pepper shrugged her shoulders, taking a large gulp of her drink before walking out.

She brushed past Tony, knocking into his shoulder as if she was trying to take her anger out, but she didn't look back at him, she just kept walking. She didn't want to think about it, she didn't want to deal with it, all she wanted to do was forget.

* * *

**Hey guys, I hope you liked this chapter and it's continuing into the next, so don't think the party's over just yet! Also, I promise there'll be some Pepperony in the next chapter, I'm just easing into it! Thanks for reading and please review!**


	9. Chapter 9

Tony watched as Pepper walked out of the crowded room, making her way outside alone. Christine rolled her eyes and looked over to Tony, wondering if he was going to follow her back over to her group, but he only shook his head at her in annoyance and left the room as well. He couldn't be around her right now, not after what she had done. Tony wasn't the exactly the nicest guy in school either, but what Christine did was completely uncalled for and she saw nothing wrong with it.

''Pepper!'' Tony called out when he walked outside, seeing her making her way down his driveway. ''Hey, wait up!''

Pepper ignored his calls and kept walking, trying to gain some speed but it was proving difficult with the brace on her leg. She just wanted to go home and not have to deal with anyone. All she wanted from this night was to let go and have a good time, and in a matter of twenty seconds, it had all been ruined.

''Where are you going?''

''What's it matter to you?'' she looked over to him walking beside her. ''Go back to your party Tony,''

''I wouldn't call that a party anymore,'' he shrugged, continuing to walk with her. ''I'd call that a bunch of drunk idiots that are trashing my house,''

''Yeah? What's the difference?'' she shook her head. ''Seriously, you can stop following me,''

''I'm not following you, I'm just...accompanying you,''

Pepper looked over at him and shook her head. ''Just stop it,''

''What?''

''We're not going to be friends, okay? Your girlfriend just verbally attacked me in front of everyone because I _looked _at you, and now you've just left everyone to come walk with me. Trust me, it's not a good idea, just leave me alone,''

Tony kept walking beside her while he thought to himself about the situation he was in. He just wanted to get to know Pepper more, become friends, and he knew it was going to cause a multitude of problems for both of them, but he didn't care. What he had with Christine wasn't a relationship, he didn't even know what it was, but he wasn't going to let her act the way she was to stop him from talking to Pepper, he just didn't care.

''So...wanna tell me why you were drinking so much tonight?'' Tony looked over to her. ''I know that's not normal so don't give me that 'high tolerance' crap,''

''Did you not see everyone else doing the same thing?'' she defended. ''Everyone at your parties act like drunken assholes, I may as well fit in, right?''

''Uh huh,'' Tony rolled his eyes. ''Except you're not an asshole,''

''Right,'' Pepper chuckled. ''How would you even know that?''

''I don't,'' he shrugged. ''But I can tell,''

''You know nothing about me Tony, which makes me wonder why you're so interested?'' she looked at him.

''Because...I don't know. Is it _so _bad for me to want to talk to you?''

''When you're girlfriend is a maniac, yeah it is,'' she chuckled before tripping on the sidewalk.

''Whoa, you okay?'' Tony asked as he put his arm around her to hold her up. ''Are you even supposed to be walking on your leg?''

''How else am I supposed to walk?'' she leaned toward him. ''I'm fine,''

Tony continued walking beside her, making sure she didn't fall over again. He didn't know why she had stopped talking, but he didn't try and start a new conversation. It was silent between them, but it was peaceful for once, and he actually enjoyed it. Pepper wondered why Tony was still walking with her since it was clear she was going home, but she didn't ask him anymore, she just walked with him, and it was nice.

* * *

When they began walking down Pepper's street after their long journey to her house, it was around midnight and she could hear Tony yawning every few minutes. It wasn't as if she asked him to walk her home, but she still felt bad that he had come with her and now had to make his way back on his own.

''You okay getting up the stairs?'' he asked as they reached Pepper's house.

''Yeah, I'll be fine,'' she nodded, making her way up as Tony walked next to her. ''Uh...thanks for walking with me,''

''It's cool, sorry about Christine,''

''Not your fault,'' she shrugged.

''Still, sorry,'' he told her before yawning again, rubbing his eyes.

''Do you want a coffee or something?'' she offered. ''You look like you're going to fall asleep on the sidewalk,''

Tony chuckled lightly. ''You're inviting me in for coffee?'' he raised his eyebrows.

''And coffee only, least I can do since you abandoned your party to walk with me,''

''Is it...'' he gestured toward the house. ''Would your dad mind?''

Pepper shook her head. ''He's not home, he'll probably make it home for breakfast,'' she told him as she began unlocking the door.

Tony walked in behind her and closed the door, watching as she turned on the lights in the house. He was surprised by how different the inside of her home looked compared to what he thought it would look like. Most families had photos on their walls, but Pepper's house was blank. There were no memories scattered around the living room or hallways for guests to see, it was as if they had only just moved in, or this was how it always was for them.

''Nice house,'' Tony complimented as he followed her into the kitchen. ''I like this one better than my own,''

''Would that be because yours is currently getting trashed?'' she asked.

Pepper didn't know if it was the alcohol she drank throughout the night or the fact that she was actually giving Tony a chance, but she liked talking to him. Even if they were just talking about her house or the coffee, or Tony's rambling about meaningless street signs as they walked, she just liked it. He was easy to talk to, and she hadn't realized that until tonight.

''Rhodey's got it covered,'' he shrugged. ''He cares more about making sure it doesn't get trashed than I do,''

''Don't your parents ever come home when you've got a party? Or say anything about the mess?'' she asked as she prepared the cups, brewing the coffee.

''They've only caught me once and it was after Stark Industries stocks had a _really _good day, so they didn't exactly go crazy, but they aren't around much to see the mess,'' he told her casually, watching as she carefully poured the coffee.

Pepper always wondered about Tony's parents, given his lifestyle. He had parties every few weekends and they always got out of hand, it was a wonder his parents didn't find out, or maybe they did. Tony understood what it was like to have parents who were obsessed with their work, but he had it harder than Pepper did. Both of his parents chose work over him in his eyes, and he had grown so used to it that it didn't even bother him anymore, but that's where he and Pepper differed.

They walked into the living room after Pepper made their coffee and sat on the couch, letting the light from the kitchen illuminate the room just enough. When Pepper left that afternoon, she had no idea she would end her night sitting on the couch with Tony next to her after being humiliated in front of everyone by Christine. However it wasn't the worst ending to the night she could have imagined.

''Wouldn't people be looking for you?'' she asked when they sat comfortably on the couch together, each leaning back onto the sides. ''You've been gone for over an hour...''

''Maybe, probably not,'' he shrugged. ''I don't think anyone would notice I'm not there,''

''Well it's _your _party,''

''No it's not,'' he shook his head, looking down at his cup. ''It's just my venue, people only show up for reputation,''

''Then why do you keep throwing them?''

Tony shrugged his shoulders. ''Like I said, reputation, I guess,''

Tony didn't know why he was suddenly being so truthful to her about what was going on, but it just felt like a moment where he didn't have to cover anything up, like he could tell her anything. Pepper noticed this too, realizing how different he was when they were alone together and how much she liked him like this. Without his friends, without the reputation meaning anything, he was a completely different person, but it was rare that anyone ever seen it.

''What about you? Why do you always show up?'' he asked.

''I've been to two...'' she narrowed her eyes at him. ''And the first one I was kind of forced into attending, but this one...I guess I just wanted to get away in the most convenient way,''

''Get away from what?'' Tony asked, leaning on his arm as he looked over to her.

''Everything,'' she shook her head, sitting up. ''Don't you ever want to just...forget?''

Tony didn't answer her straight away, he just looked at her for a moment. He always wanted to forget, to get away from everything and pretend nothing else existed. It was all he ever wanted to do, and she knew what it was like.

''All the time,'' he nodded lazily, sitting up as well. ''For everything to stop, nothing to matter,''

With every word said, somehow they began getting closer to one another without either of them noticing.

''But sooner or later you stop forgetting and you have to remember,''

''And then you start all over again,'' she continued from his words.

Tony nodded as he watched her closely, sitting up.

''Yeah...''

Pepper couldn't help getting lost in his gaze as he moved closer to her, it was like she was frozen. She had seen a completely different side of Tony, one that no one else got to see and the fact that he decided to show it to her made her feel something she hadn't felt in a long time. Tony had always found Pepper interesting despite how little he knew her, but right now, he felt like he knew her more than anyone.

Within seconds of the room falling into silence, Pepper felt Tony's lips pressed against hers. It was soft and meaningful, as if they were still talking to one another, explaining how they felt, and they could feel every word. She never thought she would be doing this, but despite her strong denial for any feelings for Tony at all, she couldn't hold back the fact that right now it felt right. Tony's hand moved up to Pepper's hair, holding her to his lips as he kissed her. He had never kissed someone like this. It wasn't desperate or passionate at all, it wasn't leading into anything. It meant something.

''No,'' Pepper pushed him away gently, although her hands still remained on his chest. ''We shouldn't...''

''Sorry,'' he looked down, immediately feeling rejection. ''I shouldn't have-''

''No, it's not...'' she began as he sat away from her.

Pepper could see the sadness in his eyes, but she didn't mean for her words to be taken as rejection. She didn't regret kissing him, she just couldn't deal with the drama that came with kissing someone who was in a relationship, no matter how unstable it was, but she needed him to know that.

''It's not that,'' she smiled at him. ''This is the first time we've really talked, and I like talking to you, but it's not the right...time,''

Tony nodded his head. ''Yeah, I get it,''

''You're in a relationship, and I'm not one of those girls,''

''I know,'' he nodded. ''You're not like any girl,''

Pepper just smiled at him and sat back against the couch, watching as he did the same. His hand rested on her legs as they laid next to him, and as the moments passed, Tony could see Pepper's eyes falling closed. He never expected his night to turn out the way it had, but he was glad it did, because now he knew something he didn't know before. He wasn't playing around anymore, he wasn't pretending to be in a happy relationship with Christine. Now, he knew what he wanted. Pepper.


	10. Chapter 10

For the rest of the weekend, Tony couldn't help thinking of anything else other than what had happened between him and Pepper. It wasn't supposed to be a big deal, it was just a simple kiss, they were both tired and had been drinking, but it was so much more to Tony than just a little kiss. He never shared something like that with anyone else before, because with Pepper it meant something, and with every other girl he had been with, it meant nothing to him. Although he couldn't help reliving Pepper pushing him away. He knew she said it wasn't the right time, but he wasn't used to rejection, and he couldn't help that it made him feel as though she didn't like him that way, that she didn't feel anything for him like he did for her.

Pepper also couldn't escape the same thoughts. After Tony had left the next morning before her dad got home from work, she had spent the whole weekend wondering if what happened between them meant anything at all. She had never considered Tony to be someone she connected with, she had spent so much time trying to ignore him and disliking him to even consider having anything in common with him. He was so different to how she thought he was, he was nothing like that guy at school. But Pepper couldn't let herself get caught up in feelings, she knew what would come along with being involved in any way at all with Tony, it was endless drama.

''Pepper, you ready?''

''Oh, yeah dad,'' she looked up, breaking her thoughts.

''Bet you're ready to get that thing off,'' Mark joked about her ankle cast as they walked to the car. ''How about I take you out to lunch afterwards, spend the day together,''

Pepper smiled at her father. He had taken the whole Sunday off work to take her to the doctors and get her cast off after he had felt so guilty about not being able to take her to the hospital when it happened. She appreciated the effort he was putting in to spend some time with her, it was nice.

''Yeah, that sounds nice,'' she nodded as they got into the car.

''And maybe you can tell me what you want for your birthday now since I haven't had the chance to ask,''

''Dad my birthday's ages away, don't worry about it,'' she shrugged.

''It's three weeks away Pep, it's not ages,'' he shook his head. ''Come on, you know I'm not good at picking out gifts, you have to give me some ideas. At least think about it, okay?''

''Okay,'' she nodded. ''I'll think about it,''

* * *

To say Tony's house was trashed was an understatement. When he returned home Saturday morning, Rhodey was passed out on the couch and there were a few other people sleeping in various seats around the house. Everything was a mess and there was broken glass everywhere. It had taken a whole day of Tony and Rhodey cleaning to make the house look just messy and not like a bomb had just exploded inside.

''Where did you get to last night anyway?'' Rhodey asked with a yawn as he mopped the floor of spilled alcohol.

''Went for a walk,'' Tony told him casually. ''Keep cleaning,''

''Don't give me that crap,''

''What? You're responsible for this mess too,''

''You know what I'm talking about man,'' Rhodey stopped, standing up and looking at his friend. ''You disappear at the same time that Pepper chick does and you both don't show up for the rest of the night,''

Tony continued gathering cups and throwing them into the plastic garbage bag in his hands, trying to ignore his friends words. He told Rhodey everything, but since he met Pepper, they hadn't talked about personal issues at all, because Tony didn't know what to say.

''She has a broken ankle, I had to make sure she got home okay,'' he told Rhodey with a shrug of his shoulders.

''Man, I don't know what's going on with you lately, but if there's something going on with you and this girl-''

''Pepper,'' Tony corrected, disliking his friend referring to her as just another girl.

''You gotta sort things out, 'cause Christine's going out of her mind and everyone else is having to deal with it,'' Rhodey told him as he continued cleaning. ''And ever since she called you guys out in front of the whole crowd, everyone knows,''

''What, so you're believing Christine's drunk speech now?'' Tony looked up.

''Well I got nothing else to go on man, you don't tell me anything,''

''Pepper doesn't want to get with me, she doesn't like me and she doesn't want to be with me okay it's the other way around!" Tony finally told him, throwing the bag of rubbish on the ground. ''What Christine said about Pepper, that's not how it is, she's not interested,''

Rhodey took a moment to realize he had pushed his friend into telling him the truth and that for the first time in the many years they had known each other, he saw that Tony was somewhat heartbroken over a girl. He never knew Tony would be like that considering he usually wasn't interested in relationships or anything more than a week with one girl, but for the first time, Tony was on the other side of that.

''I'm sorry man,''

''It's no big deal,'' Tony shook his head, trying to clean up more of the mess.

''But...but why were you with her last night if she's not interested?''

''I wasn't _with _her, I walked her home and fell asleep, but I uh, I kissed her,'' he ran his hands through his hair. ''But nothing else is gonna happen, it's pretty clear,''

Rhodey sighed.

''I'm sorry man, I didn't know,''

''Like I said, no big deal,'' Tony shrugged.

''Well, what's gonna happen to you and Christine?''

''There is no Christine and me, never was. I'll clear that up with her,'' Tony told him. ''I'm better off alone anyway,''

Rhodey watched as Tony walked out of the room, pretending he was okay, but he knew his friend better than anyone else in the world, and he knew he was hurting. Christine was never the girl for him, it was all about reputation, and Tony never cared until Pepper came into his life, and Rhodey knew that now.

* * *

Pepper held her cell phone in her hand as she sat at the table in the restaurant, waiting for her food. Liv had been texting her for the past two days apologizing for what happened at the party, but Pepper had already forgiven her. Everyone had been upset, Pepper just chose to leave, she didn't want them to feel bad about it.

''So how are all your friends?'' Mark asked as they patiently waited.

''Good,'' Pepper nodded. ''I think I'm gonna go to Liv's tomorrow after school, since I can drive again,''

''Yeah no problem sweetie, I'll most likely be working late so you and Liv can go get dinner somewhere on me,'' he offered.

Pepper sighed. ''When _won't _you be working late?''

''I know it's getting frustrating, but I'm getting a lot of clients and I could end up with a promotion here Pepper, I can't give it up,'' he looked over to her sadly. ''I agreed to the hours because I thought you'd be mature enough to understand, and I know we don't see eye to eye often, but I'm trying, and I'll try harder. Once a week I'll make sure we have dinner together and be home all night, and we can make breakfast and go places, I promise,''

Pepper knew her dad was trying, but she was tired of being alone. Their house was so big that when she was the only one in it, it became unbelievably depressing.

''Okay,'' she nodded. ''Sounds good,''

''So how's your ankle feel?''

''Good,'' Pepper moved her leg. ''Still a bit weird to stand on, but it doesn't hurt too much,''

''Well the doctor said to stay off it as much as possible for a few days, so I guess you won't be going to school,''

''What? I can go to school dad,''

''You can afford to have a few days off Pep, come on, just to be safe,'' Mark told her. ''Liv can come over, order a pizza or something, just relax, you've been off in another world the past few days, I think you need to take it easy on the school work,''

Pepper couldn't help feel guilty that her dad thought she was stressing over schoolwork the whole weekend when it was actually a whole other thing entirely on her mind. She couldn't help running over and over what had happened between her and Tony, it was the only thing on her mind, which made her think a few days off school would be a good break from it all.

''Yeah, you're probably right,'' she smiled. ''I'll take a break,''

* * *

Monday morning, Tony showed up late to school as usual, except this time it was on purpose. He didn't want to deal with Christine this early in the morning, and so he skipped the class he had with her and took the back ways to every other class. Rhodey helped him avoid her as much as possible now he knew what was going on, but it was impossible to guarantee they wouldn't run into each other, and that's exactly what happened at lunch break.

''Tony?'' Christine walked up to him, her hands on her hips. ''You've got some serious explaining to do,''

''Funny, I don't think I do,'' he smiled, turning back to his friends who tried to ignore what was going on.

''You left me at the party and have ignored me all weekend, I think you do,''

''There's nothing to explain. You and me, we're done, okay?'' Tony looked up at her. ''It was a pleasure, bye now,''

Rhodey could tell Tony was angry, but at himself. He was angry that he finally felt something and it wasn't reciprocated, that he was experiencing what it was like to be rejected, even though he hadn't seen Pepper or spoke about what happened. Rhodey had seen him do this many times when he was upset about something. He'd push everyone away until he isolated himself, but he didn't know what was going to happen this time.

''You're kidding right?'' Christine laughed. ''You can't just do that,''

''I just did,''

''We're in a relationship-''

''Actually, no we're not,'' Tony turned to her. ''I never agreed to that. It was one night and we hung out for a few days and then you forced this onto me, I never wanted it and I don't want it now,''

Christine glared at him angrily as she folded her arms.

''This is because of Pepper, isn't it?'' she shook her head. ''I knew she liked you Tony, she's manipulating you, breaking us up!''

Rhodey looked over to Tony and saw his expression as Christine spoke about Pepper. He wanted to tell her what happened, to tell her she had Pepper all wrong and that she wasn't like that, but he remained silent.

''I knew it, well you know what, Pepper needs to keep her hands to herself-''

''Would you just shut up!'' Rhodey stood up, surprising everyone. ''It's over, okay Christine? Over, done, that's it. So how about you just leave,''

Christine looked at Rhodey with wide eyes, but she soon nodded her head, arms still folded. Rhodey watched as she walked away without another word said, and he sat down again and looked over to his friend.

''You okay man?''

''I'm fine,'' Tony shrugged. ''Never been better,''


End file.
